More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus of the type described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,279, and comprising a tipping device for tipping at least one container and movable between a first operating position to load the container, and a second operating position to unload the container; and a conveying device, which has an input station for receiving the container from the tipping device, and an emptying station for emptying the container, and feeds the container along a path extending between said input and emptying stations and in a traveling direction sloping normally by an angle of other than 90° with respect to an insertion direction in which the container is inserted into the tipping device.
The apparatus also comprises an ejecting device for transferring the container from the tipping device to the conveying device at a given traveling speed when the tipping device is in the second operating position.
Since the distance, measured parallel to said traveling direction, between the input and emptying stations is less than the length of each container, also measured parallel to the traveling direction, emptying of the container commences when part of the container is still inside the tipping device.
Consequently, between commencing to empty the container and completing transfer of the container from the tipping device to the conveying device, said traveling speed must be relatively slow and at most such as to enable the container to be emptied properly.
Since the tipping device therefore remains in the second operating position for a fairly long time, known apparatuses of the above type, though widely used, have a fairly low output rate.